What Could Happen in STRANGER THINGS Season 5?

Stranger Things 4 has come to an end, leaving fans with their heads full of emotions, but also with reflections about the announced final season. What could happen in it? Which storylines will be continued? I invite you to read a handful of my thoughts.

The entire text below is a combination of my conclusions from Stranger Things, the words of the Duffer Brothers (the creators of the series), and completely unfounded speculation. Of course, it contains spoilers for the most important threads of the previous season.

Time jump

Even before the finale of season four, the Duffer Brothers informed that after its events there would be a major time jump, meant, among other things, to align the teenage characters with the age of the actors playing them. How big will that jump be? To which year will we go? That remains unknown. The information seems, however, significant and may mean that all the unresolved threads from Stranger Things 4 will close between seasons, and that at the opening of Stranger Things 5 we will see a completely new state of affairs.

Collision of Hawkins and the Upside Down

And one of the threads that will surely ignite fans’ imagination until the premiere of Stranger Things 5 is the finale of the previous season, in which we see something resembling a rupture formed between our world (of course in Hawkins) and the Upside Down. What does that mean for our heroes?

How will they deal with this threat, and what exactly is it? It is hard to predict, but a scenario in which the heroes’ fight against monsters emerging from another dimension becomes an unpleasant everyday reality could lead the series finale in a completely different direction. It is also worth adding that the Duffer Brothers announced that the final season will take place mainly in Hawkins, unlike season four, which was scattered across many locations.

Eleven and hiding from the government

For Eleven, the end of season four brought extreme emotions. On one hand, she is again with her beloved and has been found by her adoptive father, that is, Hopper, but on the other hand, she must once again hide from the government, which suspects her of the murders committed by Vecna.

It will certainly not be a carefree time for Eleven, but once again a period of constantly looking over her shoulder in fear of lurking danger. Perhaps Dr. Owens will play a role in all this, as in the finale of season four he most certainly remained in the custody of his former colleagues from work.

Where is Max?

Surely one of the saddest consequences of the fight against Vecna is Max’s condition. The girl is alive, but remains in a coma. Eleven’s visit to her mind suggests the worst, because El saw there only a black void. Has Max’s brain already died?

One can only hope there is still salvation for her, and that this thread will prove to be an important element of the final season.

Joyce and Hopper as a couple

Joyce and Hopper are finally a couple. This will certainly change the dynamic of their relationship and affect Eleven, Will, and Jonathan. It will not be helped by the aforementioned need to hide Eleven from the government.

Let’s not kid ourselves either—Joyce and Hopper are a volatile combination of personalities, so their relationship may face a lot of turbulence. Let’s just hope it gets a happy ending.

Robin and Vickie as a couple?

In the finale of season four, Robin finally developed a closer relationship with the girl she is in love with, Vickie. Will we see them as a couple in season five? Time will tell, but it will not be easy for two homosexual girls in the 1980s. Note that, for now, only Steve knows Robin’s true orientation.

Will’s homosexuality

And since we are speaking of members of the LGBT community, no one has any doubts anymore that Will represents it as well—he is secretly in love with Mike.

This thread (hinted at in season three and strongly resonating in season four) will certainly be continued in the series finale. Especially since the Duffer Brothers have announced that Will is to be the central character of the series finale.

The meeting of Dustin and Suzie?

Hard to believe, but another imagination-stirring thread also concerns romantic relationships. Dustin’s relationship was one of the Chekhov’s guns of Stranger Things 3, which fired spectacularly in the season finale, but so far, we have not had the chance to see the couple in one place.

I sincerely hope that the series finale will change that and that Suzie will join the group of main characters. One should not forget, however, how much Dustin has matured after Eddie’s death, and I would not be surprised if the writers show a completely different side of this character in season five.

Nancy and Jonathan or Nancy and Steve?

Let’s end these soap opera–like reflections with the hottest of such threads in the series. Nancy and Jonathan or Nancy and Steve? Stranger Things 4 left no doubt that Miss Wheeler faces an important decision. I myself must admit that I am very curious how this love triangle will end, although I cannot clearly root for either of the two.

Jonathan shares a much longer history with Nancy, while Steve is simply one of the most liked characters in the series, so everyone wishes him happiness. I only hope that this storyline will be properly concluded in the final season and not closed in the aforementioned gap between season four and season five.

What about Eight?

Perhaps you remember the infamous (still the worst-rated by fans) episode of Stranger Things 2, in which Eleven met her sister, Eight? The girl who also escaped from the Hawkins lab and who, like El, possesses supernatural powers.

During the second season, it seemed obvious that the girl would play a greater role in the future of the series, but the negative reception of her thread probably cooled the Duffer Brothers’ enthusiasm. That does not mean they forgot about the character. We can see references to Eight in Eleven’s room in Stranger Things 3, and she is also mentioned by name in season four. Will she, then, return to the Stranger Things universe in the finale? Time will tell.

Mike, Lucas, and the rest

Of course, Mike, Lucas, Erica, and—hopefully!—Argyle will also get their (bigger or smaller) threads. However, these are characters whose storylines are difficult to speculate about, since for now they have been left in a relatively safe place, without any clear promise of continuation after the events of season four. 

Of course, if the new season touches upon the theme of saving Max, I am convinced that Lucas will play the most important role in it. Worth emphasizing is the Duffer Brothers’ promise that the series will conclude in the style of Jackson’s Return of the King, where every character receives a satisfying ending to their story. We’ll hold them to that!

The final showdown with Vecna

Putting aside everything I wrote above, there is no doubt that the showdown with Vecna (Henry/One/The Mind Flayer) will be the driving force of the entire season and the culmination of the adventure that began in 2016 with this pop culture phenomenon.

How will the team defeat Vecna? At what cost? And what secrets does the Upside Down still hide? We will find out in Stranger Things 5. The answer to that last question has already been promised by the Duffer Brothers—so do not think you already know everything.

Time travel?

Remember that in the Upside Down, time stopped at Will’s abduction (1984)? Exactly—could that be a clue that in the final season our team will face some kind of time travel that will reverse the destruction spilling into the world from the Upside Down?

This is nothing but pure speculation, but pop culture loves such journeys, and a similar device was used by the creators of, for example, Avengers: Endgame.

Would you like to see something like that?